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Category Archives: 77 Charles West condos

January 26 2013: A view of the 77 Charles West luxury condo building from one block to the north at the intersection of Sultan and St Thomas Streets. Work on the building’s green glass exterior is nearly complete and, inside, model suites are available for viewing.

Nearly finished: When I last reported on the 77 Charles West condo project in an August 13 2011 post, windows and cladding were just being installed on the midrise building’s ground floor. Now, the midrise condominium is almost ready for occupancy.

As of this month, the building is completely glassed in, finishing touches to the exterior are nearly complete (apart from one northwest-facing balcony which appears to be getting a major alteration, and parts of the building frontage along Charles Street which still await landscaping), work on the condo suite interiors is well underway, and developer Aspen Ridge Homes has opened a model suite for exclusive private viewings. Residences are still available for purchase, at prices starting from $2.1 million.

Going green: Construction on the 77 Charles West luxury condo midrise could be topping off later this month, now that 12 of the building’s 13 floors have been built. Meanwhile, down at street level, the facade is beginning to reflect some of its nearby condo neighbours as its striking green-hued curtain wall cladding gradually gets installed.

I was surprised when I saw some of the first panels being put in place five days ago because the glass is turquoise green rather than blue, as renderings on the project website suggested it would be. Nevertheless, I like how it looks — and think it makes 77’s neighbours look good, too. Depending upon where I stood while looking at the new windows this morning, I saw sharp reflections of the One St Thomas Residences condo tower across the street, the Residences of the Windsor Arms at 22 St Thomas Street one block north, and other buildings in the Bloor-Yorkville area.

So far, the cladding encloses just three storeys around what will be the Charles Street entrance to the condominium homes (the 13 floors of luxury condos rise above Kintore College and Cultural Centre, a three-storey residence and educational facility for female Catholic students attending University of Toronto). I’m anxious to see how the cladding will look on the rest of the floors, especially on the curved south side of the building.

Below are more photos of the new cladding and recent construction progress. Previous construction updates can be found in blog posts on July 5 2011, April 7 2011, and February 15 2011 — my first report on the 77 Charles West project.

August 8 2011: Crews install the first 3-storey section of glass cladding

August 8 2011: Workers put the green-hued glass curtain wall panels in place

August 8 2011: A closer look at the cladding over the second and third storeys

August 13 2011: New cladding viewed from Charles Street, looking west

August 13 2011: Cladding above the entrance that faces north up St Thomas Street

August 13 2011: The cladding reflects several nearby buildings including the Residences at the Windsor Arms, the One St Thomas Residences, 155 Cumberland Street condos, and The Colonnade apartment building on Bloor Street

August 13 2011: Street-level view of the cladding’s neighbourhood reflection

August 16 2011: Reflection of the nearby Residences of the Windsor Arms

August 13 2011: One of the construction entrances on Charles Street

August 13 2011: A closer look at a corner section of the glass curtain wall

August 13 2011: New cladding viewed from the west end of the building

August 13 2011: Cladding reflects the One St Thomas Residences across the street

August 6 2011: Excavation progress along the Bay Street side of the U Condos site, where the 50-storey east tower will rise

Digging down: Whenever I checked out excavation activity at the U Condominiums site back in the spring, it always seemed like the earth was moving at a snail’s pace. I thought it might take until the end of the year before the digging would reach anywhere near the 15-metre depth required for construction of the foundation for the project’s two condo towers, which will rise 45 and 50 storeys tall. Excavation work appeared to be moving well along the east, south and west perimeters of the property, but a vast amount of earth remained in the center and along the north perimeter. Since June, however, the excavation has progressed at an amazing pace, and the big hole in the ground at Bay and St Mary Streets is now more than two levels deep across most of the property.

U Condos is a project by The Pemberton Group. Its two condo towers, along with 3-storey townhouses that will flank the north, east and south sides of the development, were designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.

August 6 2011: Foundation drilling equipment on the One Bloor condo tower site

Drilling starts: One of Toronto’s biggest construction events took place in the middle of July when the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the much-awaited One Bloor condo tower at the southeast corner of the city’s premier Yonge & Bloor intersection. Drilling equipment had arrived on the site weeks earlier, but it wasn’t until July 15 that executive shovels turned soil to officially kick off construction of the 70-storey tower.

Below are several recent photos of construction equipment on the One Bloor property. Numerous tower renderings and a full architectural description of the building can be viewed at this page on the Hariri Pontarini website.

July 13 2011: Pedestrians walk on Yonge Street south of Bloor Street, passing foundation drilling machines on the One Bloor site

July 13 2011: Yonge Street view of the One Bloor site, looking east toward the Xerox Tower at 33 Bloor Street East

July 13 2011: A man walks along the temporary subway station access path next to the north side of the One Bloor condo tower location

August 6 2011: Foundation building equipment on the One Bloor site

August 6 2011: A ground level view of the north half of the tower site

June 21 2011: Two of the newly-constructed balconies on the southwest wall

From the 77 Charles website, a rendering of the building’s elegantly curved southwest side. The architect is Yann Weymouth of HOK.

Curves above the campus: The 77 Charles luxury condo midrise is roughly two-thirds of the way to its final 16-storey height with construction of the 11th floor well underway. The north side of the building now holds a commanding presence at the foot of St Thomas Street and has been stealing attention from One St Thomas Residences, its 29-storey black and white limestone condo tower neighbour on the north side of Charles Street.

77 Charles would be turning even more heads if it were situated on a busier street with two-way traffic where passersby could get a better look at its unique design. What I think is the building’s most appealing architectural feature is its distinctive southwest side, featuring gracefully curved glass walls and balconies overlooking the leafy University of Toronto campus. But you actually must be on the campus to take a close look, and the road with the best vantage point — St Mary Street — is a cul-de-sac terminating just a few dozen metres to the southwest of 77 Charles at the university’s Burwash Hall. Since St Mary is not heavily-travelled as a result, it will be mainly university students and staff who will get to admire 77 Charles’s curves — and even then many might not notice, unless they glance up the driveway between Rowell Jackman Hall and Loretto College on the north side of St Mary. The curves are obvious from Charles Street, too, but since it’s a westbound one-way road, only eastbound pedestrians will see them.

Below are photos I’ve taken in recent months of construction progress at 77 Charles. Earlier construction photos can be viewed in my April 7 2011 post and my February 15 2011 post, which also includes detailed information about the condo building’s neighbourhood. A project of Aspen Ridge Homes, 77 Charles was designed by Yann Weymouth of HOK Architects.

June 21 2011: Some suites are still available — for prices starting at $1.2 million

June 21 2011: Street-level view from the north side of Charles Street

June 21 2011: The curved southwest side as seen from St Mary Street, between U of T’s Rowell Jackman Hall (left) and Loretto College (right). The One St Thomas Residences condo tower rises to the northeast.

June 21 2011: St Mary Street view of the curves on 77 Charles

July 3 2011: Street-level view from the north side of Charles Street

July 3 2011: Looking up from the north side of Charles Street

July 3 2011: The curved wall viewed from the northwest on Charles Street

July 3 2011: A closer view of the building’s angles, seen from the northwest

July 3 2011: Lower levels on the south side of 77 Charles, behind Loretto College

July 3 2011: Looking up from the southwest corner of the building

July 3 2011: South view of condo floors above the 3-storey Kintore College podium

July 3 2011: Looking up at the southwest side of the building

July 3 2011: Another view of construction from behind Loretto College

July 3 2011: Curved balconies and upper floors on the building’s southwest side

July 3 2011: The walls and balconies will be sheathed in glass

July 3 2011: Another south view of the curves on 77 Charles. The brown brick wall at right is the west side of Loretto College.

April 23 2011: Looking south at the excavation progress for the Milan condo tower under construction at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the Milan condo tower excavation site, from the Canadian Tire store parking lot next door

April 23 2011: Deep excavation in the site’s southeast corner on Church Street

April 23 2011: Excavation activity near the Yonge subway line at the north side of the Milan condo tower construction site

April 23 2011: The Milan condo tower excavation entrance ramp off Church Street

May 5 2011: A view of the Milan excavation from the site’s southeast corner on Church Street, as a subway train passes the east side of the construction area.

May 5 2011: Church Street view through security fencing toward the northeast corner of the Milan condo tower construction site

May 5 2011: Looking north from Church Street toward the Canadian Tire store next to the Milan condo construction zone

May 5 2011: view toward the east side of the Milan site from the Church Street construction entrance ramp

May 5 2011: Church Street view of the Milan site, looking northeast

April 30 2011: Construction progress at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from Charles Street

April 30 2011: Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from the corner of St Thomas and Charles Streets

April 30 2011: Looking south on St Thomas Street at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 22 2011: A window washer descends the south side of the 29-storey One St Thomas condo tower, which sits directly across Charles Street from the Seventy Seven Charles west condo construction site

April 22 2011: The cleaner works his way down the limestone-clad wall

April 22 2011: His job perk is a view inside some of the city’s most exclusive luxury condos

April 22 2011: The tower, which evokes highrise buildings from 1920s and 1930s-era New York City, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

May 6 2011: Hoarding is installed along St Nicholas Street and heavy machinery positioned on St Mary Street as crews prepare to demolish buildings where the Nicholas Residences condo tower will be constructed

May 6 2011: This building was formerly home to Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto. The interior has been gutted, and demolition of the brick exterior is imminent

May 6 2011: Nicholas will rise 35 storeys next to the Church of Scientology Toronto building, left, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets

April 30 2011: Bay Street view of excavation progress at the U Condos construction site, looking northwest toward hoarding along St Mary Street. The construction crane for the Seventy Seven Charles West condo building rises behind Loretto College, the 6-storey brick building toward the upper left of the photo.

April 30 2011: Looking from Bay Street toward excavation machinery at the northwest corner of the U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site

April 30 2011 A steel I-beam sunk into the ground to help shore up the huge U Condos site for excavation and foundation construction

April 30 2011: Southward view from St Mary Street of excavation progress on the U Condos construction site

April 7 2011: St Thomas Street view of construction progress at the 77 Charles West luxury condominium building

On the fourth floor: The midrise Seventy Seven Charles West luxury condominium building is nearly one-third of the way up. Concrete has been poured for the first three floors of the 13-storey structure, and this afternoon crews were setting up forms for the fourth floor. Below are several photos I took at the site this afternoon; you can see additional photos of the construction, along with building renderings, in my February 15 2011 post about Seventy Seven Charles West.

A truck parks on St Thomas Street while waiting to deliver its concrete load to the Seventy Seven Charles West construction site

Another truck unloads concrete at the front of Seventy Seven Charles West

Southwest view of the construction activity from Charles Street West

The south side of Seventy Seven Charles West, viewed from St Mary Street

Architectural building rendering from the 77 Charles West condo website …

..and a photo of construction progress on the first two floors February 15

Going Up: Passersby can finally see the Seventy Seven Charles West luxury condo building taking shape, now that construction is reaching above ground on the first two floors.

This is an interesting and unique project, and not just because its 77 Charles Street West address occupies an enviable prime location with the sprawling University of Toronto campus to its west and south, and the posh Yorkville neighbourhood to its north. Seventy Seven actually is two completely different buildings in one: a 13-storey condominium complex with very expensive large suites up top (prices start at a mere $1.2 million dollars), and Kintore College, a three-storey residence and educational facility for devout female Catholic university students down below, each with their own private entrance.

A project of Aspen Ridge Homes, the dual-purpose complex at 77 Charles West was designed by Yann Weymouth of international architecture firm HOK. You can read exactly how Weymouth has integrated two separate buildings into one mixed-use structure in this informative March 16 2007 column by John Bentley Mays of The Globe and Mail, so I won’t repeat those details here. Will Weymouth’s design vision for this unusual building combination succeed? We should be able to tell if he’s managed to pull it off once Seventy Seven’s glass curtain wall starts taking form, likely later this year.

But I’m more curious about something else: How do people who have bought suites at Seventy Seven feel about other new condos that will be built nearby?

Impressive views across the University of Toronto campus

The Seventy Seven Charles condo website touts all the wonderful sightlines that its residents will enjoy from their posh pads; in fact, you can click on a rendering of the building to see views in eight directions from several floor levels. Most impressive are the unobstructed west views overlooking the U of T campus, and the south views extending beyond the university all the way to the Financial District and the CN Tower. But the 45- and 50-storey towers of U Condos (currently in early stages of site excavation) at the corner of Bay and St. Mary Streets might block some southeast views, while The St. Thomas, a 23-storey luxury condo planned for the northwest corner of Charles and St. Thomas Streets, will block some sightlines to the northwest. Of course, One St. Thomas Residences, the stylish black and white 29-storey luxury condo tower designed by New York architect Robert A. M. Stern, already blocks views immediately to the north of Seventy Seven.

However, what’s probably peeving some purchasers is the prospect of a slightly taller building going up right next door, obscuring many views entirely. Loretto College, a six-storey women’s residence that is part of St. Michael’s College at U of T, sits on St. Mary Street about 50 or so feet south of the Seventy Seven construction site. Last year, the college filed an application with the city for zoning approval to redevelop its site into a new 19-storey mixed-use building with office space, 90 student residence rooms, and 87 condominium units. If that proposal gets the green light, the new Loretto College will stand three floors taller than Seventy Seven. [Editor’s Note: A revised development application was subsequently filed with the City, proposing a 40-storey institutional and residence building. The new complex would have a 2-storey podium and 38-storey tower, and would include 115 student dormitory units, a chapel, 8 1-bedroom apartment units for chapel members, and 220 apartment units. As of January 2013, the application had not gone before Toronto City Council for approval.]

I’d feel mighty miffed myself if I forked out a fortune expecting to see skylines, old university buildings and greenery from my new designer digs at Seventy Seven, only to get views into student dorm rooms and other condos close by instead. (Residents with southwest corner suites would still get a bit of a view — through the double-driveway-width space between Loretto College and U of T’s Rowell Jackman Hall to its west.)

But maybe Seventy Seven’s buyers won’t mind. They might be too busy exploring nearby museums and cultural institutions or passing their time shopping and dining. As the condo website proudly points out, “trendy Yorkville, with its cornucopia of galleries, fashion, glamour and cuisine, is just minutes from 77 Charles.” I suppose that, for some people, gazing at the U of T grounds from a luxury balcony just couldn’t compare to window shopping at Prada and Chanel or peering into the glass jewellery display cases at Cartier. Below are several more architectural renderings from the Seventy Seven Charles West website, along with some of my pics of construction progress and the building’s current and future neighbours, which I mentioned above. More photos can be viewed in the “Bloor-Yorkville condo projects” album on the Photo Sets page of the blog.

Rendering of curved upper floors and balconies at 77 Charles West

Rendering of glass walls and terraces at 77 Charles West

August 6 2008: 77 Charles sales centre and the old Kintore College building

November 22 2009: Clearing rubble from the site before excavation

November 22 2009: Clearing rubble from the site before excavation begins

November 22 2009: 77 Charles West site viewed from St. Thomas Street

Building illustration on the hoarding around 77 Charles West

November 22 2009: Construction site viewed from the east, on Charles Street. The building to the west of the site is U of T’s Rowell Jackman Hall.

November 11 2010: construction crane on 77 Charles West site

November 11 2010: Cement truck at the east end of the site

November 11 2010 view of construction activity from the east end of the site

December 3 2010: Building illustration on the hoarding along Charles Street

December 4 2010: foundation construction has reached ground level

December 4 2010: another view of foundation construction progress

December 4 2010: Construction viewed from west side of 77 Charles West site

December 4 2010: workers repairing the construction crane

Another building illustration on the hoarding along the Charles Street sidewalk

December 4 2010: Site viewed from the east on Charles Street

December 4 2010: Crane on the 77 Charles West site viewed from St Mary Street through the driveways between Rowell Jackman Hall, left, and Loretto College

January 9 2011: construction of first floor underway

January 9 2011: another view of first floor construction progress

January 29 2011: construction progress viewed from west end of the site

January 29 2011: another view of first floor construction progress

January 29 2011: first floor kept under wraps during the cold weather

January 29 2011: The driveway in the foreground leads into the underground parking garage of Rowell Jackman Hall next door to 77 Charles

January 29 2011: building progress viewed from Charles Street

January 29 2011: round support columns for first and second floors

January 29 2011: another view of construction progress above ground

February 12 2011: construction site viewed after a light snowfall

February 12 2011: construction progress viewed from east end of the site

February 12 2011: a little more progress on the second floor

February 12 2011: construction progress viewed from the east on Charles Street

Another view of the construction from the parking area behind Loretto College

This pic shows just how close 77 Charles West sits to the rear of Loretto College

Loretto College on St. Mary Street, immediately to the south of 77 Charles West

Loretto College site redevelopment proposal sign on St. Mary Street

Loretto College viewed from St Mary Street on December 4 2010

Rowell Jackman Hall is 77 Charles’s next-door neighbour to the west

77 Charles’s easterly neighbours are two semidetached brick houses built in 1885. They are the Charles Bird House at 63 Charles, left, and the John Briggs House at Number 65. To their left are the Bay Charles apartment towers.

The St Thomas condo highrise site and sales office on the northwest corner of Charles and St Thomas Streets, right across the road from 77 Charles West

October 3 2010 view from St Thomas Street of 77 Charles West, left, and the site for The St Thomas luxury highrise condo building now on sale

Another December 4 2010 view of The St Thomas condo site directly across the street from the 77 Charles West condo location

The One St Thomas condo highrise on Charles Street across from 77 Charles West

February 15 2011: View of 77 and its neighbours on Charles Street West. The cement truck is at 77 Charles, while One St. Thomas is the building at right. The sales office for The St Thomas condos is visible on the next block.